Cody Austin has been working for the past few months to help the Village of Belleville save the Ash trees in the Village's parks. A native of Belleville, Austin has been an ISA Certified Arborist for four years. He graduated from Belleville High School and then the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a Biology Degree.

Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive wood boring beetle from Asia. It has been predicted that over the next 20 years it will infest all unprotected Ash trees in the United States and Canada. Infestation spreads very quickly and has already killed tens of millions of Ash trees since it was discovered in 2002. Emerald Ash Borer has been found throughout the upper Midwest as far east as Maryland and New York and as far west as Minnesota and Iowa.

The Emerald Ash Borer lays its eggs on the bark of an Ash tree and the larvae tunnel through the bark and begin consuming the sapwood of the tree. This feeding disrupts water flow to the canopy, dehydrating and killing that portion of the tree. Eventually the whole tree will die.

In checking, Austin found that approximately 70 trees in the village's park that could benefit from treatment for Emerald Ash Borer. Although the treatment comes with a cost, it is less expensive than removing the trees. Austin said that the treatments are good for two to three years depending on the condition of the tree. He noted that he estimated that he could treat the village trees for 10 injection cycles (20-30 years) before reaching the same cost as removing the trees. He also pointed out the village parks wouldn't be the same if they lost that many trees and it felt good to help his home town.

The process that Austin uses involved injecting a chemical into the tree. The injection method relies on harnessing the tree's vascular system to distribute the chemical. Tree injection has been developed primarily for use on large size trees and in proximity of urban areas where ground- and air-spray applications are impractical due to substantial drift-driven pesticide losses or not allowed due to potential human exposure. This method is viewed as environmentally safer alternative for pesticide application since the compound is delivered within the tree, allowing for selective exposure to plant pests. It also reduces exposure of water, soil, air and wildlife to the chemicals.

Early infestations of Emerald Ash Borer are nearly impossible to detect; the tree does not show outward symptoms. However, as the infestation grows, the tree will decline and then die.

As the infestation progresses, visible Emerald Ash Borer symptoms include:

• Early fall coloration

• Dieback of branches with sparse foliage

• New branches sprouting from the lower trunk

• Woodpeckers feeding on infested trees

• D shaped exit holes

• Decline in groups of ash all at the same time

Although Austin was contracted by the village to treat only the trees in the parks, any homeowner who would like an estimate should contact him by phone at Pioneer Tree Care, (608) 333-1310, or email him at cody19austin@gmail.com.